SMOKEY JOE’S CAFÉ Extends To June 30th At Royal George

SJCChicago LLC is proud to announce the extension of Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s production of Smokey Joe’s Café – The Songs of Leiber and Stoller at the Royal George Cabaret Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Ave. through June 30. The hit production received rave reviews from Chicago and just recently received five Non-equity Jeff Award Nominations for Production – Revue, Ensemble, Director – Musical or Revue, Choreography and Music Direction. Smokey Joe’s Café now runs through Sunday, June 30. The performance schedule, beginning May 30, is Wednesdays at 2 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 5 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Ticket prices range from $25 – $46.50 and may be purchased in person at the Royal George Box Office (Tuesdays – Saturdays 12 p.m. – curtain), online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 312.988.9000. For groups of 10 or more contact Group Theater Tix at 312.423.6612. For more information on SJCChicago’s presentation of Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s Smokey Joe’s Café – The Songs of Leiber and Stoller visit www.SmokeyJoesCafeChicago.com.

The transfer of Smokey Joe’s Café – The Songs of Leiber and Stoller features the same award-winning cast directed, once again, by Brenda Didier. This production’s musical direction is by Jeremy Ramey and Steve Hiltebrand serves as the associate director and associate producer. Smokey Joe’s Café, originally presented, in it’s pre-Broadway engagement as Baby That’s Rock n Roll, the Songs of Leiber and Stoller at The Royal George Theatre in 1994, returns to its roots at The Royal George with the 2012 critically acclaimed Theo Ubique Cabaret production. The original Broadway presentation had a successful five-year run with 2,036 performances at the Virginia Theatre. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, as much as anyone, virtually invented rock ‘n’ roll, and now their songs provide the basis for an electrifying entertainment that illuminates a golden age of American culture. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s Smokey Joe’s Café – The Songs of Leiber and Stoller’s features nearly 40 of the greatest rock n’ roll songs ever recorded, covering the classic themes of love won, lost and imagined blend with hilarious set-pieces and slice-of-life emotions, such as “Hound Dog,” “Love Potion #9,” “Yakety Yak,” “Charlie Brown,” and “Jailhouse Rock,” and with a cast of nine plus a four piece band, the return of this hit production is sure to bring sold out crowds to their feet once again.

The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. With up to 52 members representing a wide variety of backgrounds in theatre, the Jeff Awards is committed to celebrating the vitality of Chicago area theatre by recognizing excellence through its recommendations, awards, and honors.

Didier is a freelance choreographer/director based in Chicago and owns and directs the Lincolnshire Academy of Dance, now in its 14th successful season in a brand new 5000 square foot facility. Didier has received Joseph Jefferson Awards for both direction and choreography, After Dark Awards for choreography, the National Youth Theatre Award for choreography and the 2010 Broadway World Chicago fan favorite award for choreography. Didier has collaborated with Porchlight Music Theatre on eight productions, most recently The Gifts of the Magi and Putting It Together. She has served as a guest instructor/choreographer for Northwestern University, Columbia College, the University of Illinois- Champaign/Urbana, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Carthage College. Didier has choreographed musicals, industrials, special events as well as productions for Second City’s mainstage and five installments of Cirque Shanghai at Navy Pier’s Skyline Stage the summers of 2007-2012.

ABOUT ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND ASSOCIATE PRODUCER STEVE HILTEBRAND

Hiltebrand recently produced and directed the hit revival of The Rocky Horror Show at the Mercury Theatre, which was choreographed by Brenda Didier. Other past credits include The Marriott Theatre’s Jeff-nominated musical The Music Man (assistant director to Gary Griffin); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Royal George Theatre (producer) and has created a variety of major projects seen on the stages of some of Chicago’s finest, and most prestigious, venues, including Drury Lane Oakbrook, House of Blues, Aragon Ballroom, Congress Theatre, Navy Pier Grand Ballroom and Union Station.

ABOUT SJCCHICAGO LLC

SJCChicago LLC was created to present the commercial transfer of Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s Smokey Joe’s Café – The Songs of Leiber and Stoller. The managing directors are Jim Jensen and Gitta K. Jacobs. Jensen has been working professionally in the theater as a producer and general manager for more than thirty years. During that time he has been responsible for the production and management of more than 100 productions and concert attractions. Most recently he was co-producer and general manager of the Drury Lane Theater Water Tower Place in Chicago.. Currently, he is producer of concerts and manager of special projects for Drury Lane Oakbrook, overseeing all talent hiring and contract negotiations for the theater’s year-round season of plays and musicals. He was the general manager of Chicago’s Royal George Theater Center for fourteen years. Jensen was general manager for the Chicago transfer of the Broadway production of The Gin Game starring Julie Harris and Charles Durning, and co-producer of Forever Plaid, which ran for almost seven years in Chicago. He also produced the Milwaukee and Seattle productions of Forever Plaid, was co-producer of the first Chicago production of Forbidden Broadway and was associate producer of the Jeff Award-winning musical The Doyle and Debbie Show in Chicago. Jensen is also adjunct faculty at the Theater School at DePaul in the Theater Management Program.

Gitta K. Jacobs is actively involved in Chicago theatre as a producer, board member and supporter of new theater. She was an associate producer of the Chicago touring company of Angels in America at the Royal George Theatre and producer The Woman in Black at the Theatre Building and Double Exposure and Saint Nicholas by Conor McPherson at Victory Gardens Studio. She was a co-producer of Forever Plaid in Milwaukee and executive produced the full-length film A Woman in the Wind starring Colleen Dewhurst, which took first

place at the Houston International Film Festival. She served on the Joseph Jefferson committee for 19 years and produced six Jeff Citation Awards shows for the committee. She also served as president of the Shattered Globe Co. for seven years.

ABOUT THEO UBIQUE (pronounced thee-oh oob-bah-kway)

Theo Ubique began producing in 1997, first at the Heartland Studio Theatre, and then, in 2004, at the Michael James’s No Exit Café, where it began focusing on musicals and revues, reinventing the cabaret theatre trend in Chicago. Since then, Theo Ubique has produced 35 shows and received 30 Jeff Awards and three After Dark Awards. For more information on Theo Ubique visit www.theoubique.org.

SJCChicago LLC is proud to present the Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre production of Smokey Joe’s Café – The Songs of Leiber and Stoller at the Royal George Cabaret Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Ave. The production runs through Sunday, June 30. The performance schedule, beginning May 30, is Wednesdays at 2 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 5 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Ticket prices range from $25 – $46.50 and can be purchased in person at the Royal George Box Office (Tuesdays – Saturdays 12 p.m. – curtain), online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at312.988.9000. For groups of 10 or more contact Group Theater Tix at 312.423.6612. For more information on SJCChicago’s presentation of Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s Smokey Joe’s Café – The Songs of Leiber and Stoller visit www.SmokeyJoesCafeChicago.com.